Apparatus for applying a film of powder



A ril 5, 1966 J. T. LINDQUIST APPARATUS FOR APPLYING A FILM 0F POWDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 16, 1964 INVENTOR. (/a/Vflsl /wpmfj/maqwsr April 5, 1966 J. T. LINDQUIST APPARATUS FOR APPLYING A FILM 0F POWDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 16, 1964 17/5 Arum i '2 INVENTOR.

United States Patent APPARATUS FOR APPLYING A FILM 0F POWDER Jonas Theodore Lindquist, Skokie, Ill., assignor to Oxy- Dry Sprayer Corporation, New York, N .Y., a corporation of New York Filed Jan. 16, 1964, Ser. No. 338,053 9 Claims. (Cl. 222-56) My invention relates to an improved Apparatus for Applying a Film of Powder which apparatus is especially designed and constructed to deliver a predetermined amount of powder to a trough to be dispensed therefrom by a roller upon the freshly printed surface of a sheet of material to dissipate the normal static in the sheet which interferes with the separation of the sheets and also to reduce adhering together of the freshly printed sheets of material.

A principal object of the invention is the simple, novel, and efiicient arrangement for maintaining a supply of powder to be contained within a trough commensurate with the amount of powder to be dispensed therefrom, thus preventing an excessive amount of powder being delivered to the trough as well as overflow of the powder therefrom.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

Theinventio'n consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred form of construction, and in which;

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the same;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional detail view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional detail view taken substantially on line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG; 5 is a fragmentary sectional detail view of FIG. 3; FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional detail view taken substantially on line 6-6 of FIG, 3;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional detail view taken substantially on line 7-7 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional detail view taken substantially on line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

The preferred form of construction of the invention is shown in the drawings wherein a storage hopper is indicated at 10 and an elongated trough at 11. The hopper 10 is adapted to hold a quantity of powder for delivery to the trough -11.

The storage hopper 10 and trough 11 are mounted in any suitable manner on preselected elements (not shown) of a printing press which includes a table (not shown), across the surface of which a freshly printed sheet 12 passes from the printing press to a stacking table or platform (not shown). The trough 11 is arranged with respect to the sheets 12 in a manner such that as the freshly printed 'sheets pass' therebeneath a relatively fine film of powder will be deposited upon the printed surface of the sheet for the purposes hereinbefore stated in connection with the objects of this invention.

The storage hopper 10 may be in the form of construction shown in the drawings, having a tapered bottom portion 10 and including side walls 13, a bottom wall 14, and a top wall 15, the latter including a cover 16 hinged as at 17.

3,244,325 Patented Apr. 5, 1966 The top wall provides a housing 18 within which is arranged a gear 19. The gear 19 is fixedly journalled on a shaft 20 extending transversely of the housing 18. Through the medium of gears contained within a gear train housing 21, the shaft 20 has driving connection with a shaft of an electric motor 22.

The gear 19 has formed circumferentially therein a groove 24' divided into semicircular sockets 21' which receive the ball elements of a ball chain 23 extending around the gear 19 and over a guide roller 24 within a groove 24" former therein. The roller 24 is freely rotata'ble upon a shaft 25 carried by the adjacent side wall .13.

Secured to one of the walls 13 and extending horizontally with respect thereto, is a vertical chute 26, the lower end of which terminates short of the bottom wall 14 to provide with a partition 27, an opening 20' (FIG. 3). Through this opening 20 the chain 23 from the gear 19 passes to the bottom portion of the hopper 10 where a portion 19 thereof is loosely confined as seen in FIG. 3.

The endless chain 23 passes through the opening 20' over the partition 27 and through the bifurcated end 28 of a vibratory spring 29 secured as at 30 to the bottom wall 14 of the storage hopper 10. The purpose of this spring 29 will presently be explained.

From the spring 29, the chain extends into the through a tube 31 secured to the adjacent wall 13 of the storage hopper 10 as at 32. The tube 31 has a portion 31 which extends into and through the trough 11. The trough 11 includes a hinged top wall 33, and side and end walls 34 and 35, respectively, the tube 31 extending through the adjacent end wall 35. The end of the tube portion 31' within the trough 11, has connection with a nipple 36 formed as a part of a U-shaped return tube 37.

The tube 37 through which the chain 23 passes is supported within the trough 11 by a plate 38, the underside of which provides recesses 39 into which the return tube 37 is positioned as shown in FIG. 4. Suitable spring clips 40 carried by the plate 38 securely hold the return tube 37 in the recesses 39. The opposite corresponding edges of the plate 38 are grooved as at 41 to receive a strip 42 carried by the side walls 34 of the trough 11 and forined in cross section to conform to the grooves 41.

From the return tube 37, the chain passes through a tube 43 arranged in parallel relation to the opposite side wall '34 of the trough 11 and which, like the tube 31, is connected to the return tube 37 by a nipple 44. The tube 43 extends into the storage hopper 10 through a coupling 45 similar to the coupling 32. From this coupling 45 the tube 43 extends in an angular direction upwardly as at 46 and is firmly held in such position by a suitable bar 47 secured in any suitable manner to the adjacent wall 17 of the hopper 10. The chain 23 from the return tube 37 extends through the tube 43 back into the hopper 10 and thence around the roller 24 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. Carried from the top wall 15 is avibratory spring 48 having a bifurcated end 49 similar to the bifurcated end of the spring 29. The chain 23 passes through this bi furcation 49 of the spring 48 for reasons hereinafter explained.

The storage hopper 10 has confined therein a quantity of powder such as is suitable for use in dissipating the static in paper sheets and which will serve to prevent the sheets from adhering together.

As the chain 23 is made up of a plurality of balls secured together in a manner well known in the art, it is apparent that the chain will be non-kinking. Its movements throughout its course are free and uninterrupted. The loose or stacked portion 19' will be submerged in the powder as will the horizontal run 23 of the chain. As the gear 19 is rotated by operation of the motor 21, the gear 19 will pull the chain 23 in an upward direction as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3. When moved in this direction, the chain will pass around the roller 24 and the gear 19 and then by gravity move down through the chute 26 where it will form the loose stack 19, at the open end of the chute 26. As the chain 23 is drawn out of the tube 43, the chain will be drawn into the tube 31. As the chain run 23' is drawn across the hopper 10 into the tube 31, it will carry with it a predetermined amount of powder which is'carried into the tube portion 31' within the trough 11. The powder, as the chain passes through the tube portion 31', will pour out of the tube portion 31' through the perforations 3-3 formed in the tube portion 31 within the trough 11.

As each ball of the chain 23 engages the bifurcated end of the spring 29, a vibratory action will be set up so as to vibrate the chain portion 23 to break up the powder at the bottom of the hopper 10', keeping the same loose and also preventing clogging of the powder in the tube 31. Likewise, as the chain 23 passes through the bifurcation 49 of the spring 48, the chain 23 will be vibrated and any powder clinging thereto will be shaken therefrom before the chain passes onto the roller 24.

In the trough 11 there is a roller 50 extending longitudinally through an elongated opening 51 formed in the bottom of the trough. Engaging the opposite long sides of the roller are spring plates 51 having their upper edge portion connected to the edges 52 of the walls 34 of the trough 11. These spring plates 51 yieldably bear upon the long sides of the roller 50 and cooperate with the roller 50 to permit a fine spray of powder to be discharged from the trough 11 onto the surface of the freshly printed paper. The roller 50 is rotatably supported by the end walls of the trough 11 as at 56' and is rotatable by any suitable means, such, for example, an electric motor (not shown) or other operating part of the printing press.

As the chain moves into and through the tube portion 31, it carries with it a predetermined amount of powder, a portion of which will pour through the perforations in the tube portion 31 within the trough 11. As the powder accumulates in the trough 11, there will be formed beneath each perforation a powder hill H as shown in FIG. 4. When the powder hill reaches a height where it contacts the tube portion 31, the perforations will be closed thereby and further delivery of powder to the trough 11 through the perforations is blocked until the hill is dissipated by the operation of the roller 50 feeding the powder from the trough 11 onto the surface of the freshly printed sheet. By this arrangement, the amount of powder delivered to the trough 11 is controlled and maintained and such trough will not be filled to overflow from the trough. In other words, the amount of powder delivered to the trough is commensurate to the amount fed from the trough by the roller 50*.

The amount of powder to be delivered to the tube 31 within the trough 11 will depend upon the speed of rotation of the gear 19 and the movement of the chain 23. Best results are obtained by adjusting the speed of movement of the chain 23 and gear 19' by the length of time it takes to build up the powder hills to a height to close the perforations in the tube portion 3-1, thus preventing further supply of powder to the trough until the hills are dissipated in the manner above stated. Until the hills H are sufiiciently dissipated, the powder will be carried into the hopper lit by the chain 23.

From the foregoing description, it is apparent that I have provided a simple, inexpensive and efficient arrangement for delivery to a trough of an amount of powder in proportion to the amount of powder being deposited upon the surface of a freshly printed sheet, thereby reducing to a minimum the risk of depositing an unnecessary amount of powder on the surface of the sheet as well as accumulating an excessive amount of powder in the trough.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention intoeffect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A machine for applying a film of powder upon the surface of a freshly printed sheet of material moving beneath said machine, comprising a powder reservoir, means for dispensing powder from said reservoir onto said sheet, and means for delivering powder to said reservoir in an amount commensurate with the amount of powder dispensed therefrom comprising an endless flexible powder conveying chain and a conduit therefor, said chain and its conduit being routed into and out of said reservoir, said conduit having static valveless openings for delivering powder to said reservoir, said static openings being located to be obstructed by said powder when said powder reaches a predetermined level whereby said excess powder is drawn out of said reservoir.

2. The apparatus defined by claim 1 wherein said reservoir is provided with an elongated opening in the bottom thereof and the dispensing means is an elongated roller rotatably mounted in said reservoir.

3. The apparatus defined by claim 2' characterized by the inclusion of elongated spring plates within said reservoir and attached thereto on opposite sides of said roller and having corresponding longitudinal edge portions yieldably bearing against the cylindrical surface, of said roller.

4. The apparatus defined by claim 1 characterized by the inclusion of a supply hopper from which the powder is delivered by said powder delivering means to said reservoir.

5. The apparatus defined by claim 3- further characterized by the inclusion of a supply hopper from which the powder is delivered by said powder delivering means to said reservoir.

6. The apparatus defined by claim 4 characterized by the inclusion of powder agitating means in said hopper.

7. The apparatus defined by claim 5 characterized by the inclusion of powder agitating means in said hopper.

8. An apparatus for applying a film of powder upon the surface of a freshly printed sheet of material moving therebeneath, comprising (a) a hopper having a quantity of powder therein, (b) an elongated reservoir adapted to receive the powder from said hopper and beneath which said sheet moves, (0) means for conveying powder from said hopper to said reservoir, said means'comprising (d) a substantially U-shaped tubular structure arranged in said reservoir with one limb of said tubular structure having longitudinally spaced perforations extending downwardly into said hopper,

(e) driving mechanism associated with said hopper I and including a rotatable driving gear,

(f) a vertically extending chute carried by a side wall of the hopper and terminating at a point short of the bottom of said hopper to rovide a lateral opening opening into said hopper,

(g) and endless ball chain passing over said gear, said chain from said gear passing through said chute and having a portion thereof loosely stacked at the bottom thereon at said opening, said chain extending from said opening through said one of the limbs, said chain returning through the other limb of said tubular structure into said hopper to said gear.

9. The apparatus defined by claim 8 wherein the passage of powder through said perforations is blocked when a hill of powder has been accumulated beneath sa-id perforations, and means for vibrating said chain within said hopper to agitate the powder contained therein.

References Cited by the Applicant UNITED STATES PATENTS Andreas 214-17 Graemiger 22256 Dugan 222-318 Hewlett 22256 Dunaway 222-414 Newald et a1. 222--371 10 RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Primary Examiner.

HADD S. LANE, Examiner. 

1. A MACHINE FOR APPLYING A FILM OF POWDER UPON THE SURFACE OF A FRESHLY PRINTED SHEET OF MATERIAL MOVING BENEATH SAID MACHINE, COMPRISING A POWDER RESERVOIR, MEANS FOR DISPENSING POWDER FROM SAID RESERVOIR ONTO SAID SHEET, AND MEANS FOR DELIVERING POWDER TO SAID RESERVOIR IN AN AMOUNT COMMENSURATE WITH THE AMOUNT OF POWDER DISPENSED THEREFROM COMPRISING AN ENDLESS FLEXIBLE POWDER CONVEYING CHAIN AND A CONDUIT THEREFOR, SAID CHAIN AND ITS CONDUIT BEING ROUTED INTO AND OUT OF SAID RESERVOIR, SAID CONDUIT HAVING STATIC VALVELESS OPENINGS FOR DELIVERING POWDER TO SAID RESERVOIR, SAID STATIC OPENINGS BEING 